1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC card. In particular, it relates to a structure of IC cards such as CFast that connect to a slot installed on a computer.
2. Related Art
For example, in order to expand functionality of a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a “PC”), an expansion card, in which a connector is added to a printed circuit board that has been equipped with a microcomputer, is connected to an expansion slot of a PC. The CFast card is one type of expansion card standardized for a PC, and connects to a PC, achieving high speed communication.
Although the CFast card is one type of IC card, a printed circuit board equipped with a microcomputer is housed in a rigid body frame thereof. Accordingly, the CFast card can be classified as a different microcomputer card from a memory card in which a memory chip is sealed within a plastic package. Furthermore, in recent years, a CFast card equipped with a keyboard has appeared, and CFast cards can also be classified as multifunction cards.
Such IC cards are vulnerable to electrostatic breakdown, caused by external static electricity, of electronic components equipped on a printed circuit board, and thus electrostatic countermeasures must therefore be taken. Accordingly, a structure of an IC card in which highly reliable electrostatic countermeasures have been taken has been desired.
For example, the IC card according to Japanese Patent No. 3167416 (hereinafter called “Patent Document 1”) includes a printed circuit board, a connector, and two planar conductive boards. The printed circuit board equips an electronic component. The connector has a predetermined number of connector pins arranged thereon on a connector frame, and is attached to the printed circuit board. Furthermore, on the connector, a ground pin among the connector pins is connected to a ground pattern on the printed circuit board. One pair of conductive boards is placed in contact to upper and lower faces of the connector frame.
Additionally, in the IC card according to Patent Document 1, through-hole portions, which are open facing the conductive board, are formed above and below a connector frame corresponding to the ground pin, respectively. Furthermore, a protruding piece is installed above and below the ground pin, each protruding piece is made to pass through a through-hole portion which protrudes from an outer surface of the connector frame toward each conductive board side. In addition, by sandwiching both of the upper and lower faces of the connector frame with the conductive board, each protruding piece is pushed and deformed in the through-hole portion and elastically connected to each conductive board, respectively.
In the IC card according to Patent Document 1, a connector frame functions as a stopper member for conductive boards or members on the manufacturing line. As a result, even if a conductive board or another member or the like pushes a protruding portion of the ground pin, then if the conductive board or another member eventually abuts an outer surface of the connector frame, pushing deformation of the ground pin is prevented. Therefore, the protruding portion of the ground pin does not excessively deform, and for any IC card, a contact between the ground pin and a conductive board is suitably maintained, whereby reliability of electrostatic countermeasures is improved.
In the IC card according to Patent Document 1, the ground pin is made to be a “female contact” having a box-shaped lead-in allowing for easy insertion of a “male contact.” Additionally, the ground pin mounts the protruding piece.
Such a “female contact” as mentioned above is manufactured by press molding a metal plate, which has been developed in a predetermined form, into a box shape. In addition, if the “female contact” is manufactured in a linked state, creating a “linkage-type contact,” mass production becomes possible, and automatic mounting becomes easy.
However, linkage-type contacts are manufactured by being wound on a reel, and therefore, when a protruding piece is established as the ground pin disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a concern that, in a state of being wound on the reel, or during transport, the protruding piece may be deformed. That is to say, if the protruding piece of the ground pin is deformed, then accurately fitting the ground pin into the connector frame becomes difficult, and there is a concern that electrostatic countermeasures for the IC card may not be achievable.